Our entire story begins with the Canada geese. Without these majestic creatures that proved birds can learn a migration route, we wouldn't have a story.

Since childhood, co-founder Bill Lishman dreamed of flying with birds. He got closer to his dream as a grown-up, when he became an avid ultralight aviator. Then, one fateful night he and his family
traveled to Toronto to see the IMAX film, "Skyward." As Lishman watched the geese in the film follow a boat, he wondered if they would also follow an airplane?

The film's animal trainer, William Carrick, had the answer Lishman wanted. With Carrick's help, Lishman began working with the geese since, as non-endangered species, they posed fewer technical and environmental risks.

And the rest, literally, was history. In 1988, Lishman lead 12 geese on local flights. Then, in 1993, he and partner Joseph Duff helped 18 geese migrate from Ontario to Virginia.

Reaching his childhood dream gave Lishman a new focus. He and Duff formed Operation Migration for another dream: to save endangered species by introducing safe migratory routes.